You can comment on restoration plan

Published: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 10:47 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 10:47 p.m.

You can comment on the state’s $701 million spending plan for hurricane-protection and coastal restoration work in 2014 at a public hearing Tuesday in Houma.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Boulevard. An open house begins at 5 p.m.

The annual plan includes a breakdown of how money will be spent in 2014.

According to the plan, of the $701 million in federal and state coastal dollars, about $513 million will be spent on construction. Another $63.3 million will be spent on engineering and design, $29.9 million on project planning, $37.3 million on operating costs, $40.3 million on ongoing programs and $17.1 million on operation, maintenance and monitoring of projects.

The report lists several large-scale, ongoing restoration projects in Terrebonne and Lafourche, including an $18 million aimed at introducing more fresh water into Bayou Lafourche and a $59 million project that will restore Fourchon Beach.

There are also multi-million projects to:

n Restore marsh in Lost Lake in southwestern Terrebonne.

n Restore banks along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Terrebonne.

n Reintroduce fresh water into Lake Boudreaux south of Houma.

The public hearing will pair with another important coastal meeting where locals can weigh in on plans to spend billions of dollars in potential BP oil spill fines.

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council public hearing will follow the annual plan hearing. Residents can hear about and weigh in on efforts to plan for Restore Act dollars that will be paid back to the coast for restoration projects.

The council is chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and includes governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. It also includes secretaries of the U.S. departments of Agriculture, the Army, Homeland Security and Interior plus the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Restore Act, passed by Congress last year, dedicates 80 percent of BP’s Clean Water Act fines to five Gulf Coast states. The Restore Act established the council to develop and oversee a plan to distribute 60 percent of the oil-spill fines that will be sent to the coast.

Companies involved with the spill can be fined from $1,000 to $4,300 per barrel leaked after the 2010 deadly explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig. That could add up to $5 billion to $20 billion.

The council is seeking ideas about how to spend a portion of that fine money. Its draft plan will be released for public comment in the spring. The plan itself will be released in July.

While the Restore Act broadly sketches out how the spill fines will be dispersed, officials say planning has been difficult because many specifics are still undertain.

“We still don’t know steep civil fines will be against BP, or when the company will settle. Because of that, we also don’t know how much money the state and parish will receive and when they’ll get it,” said Terrebonne Coastal Restoration Director Nic Matherne.

The state plans to use its Coastal Master Plan as a guiding document for spending its share of the BP oil-spill fines.

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.

<p>You can comment on the state's $701 million spending plan for hurricane-protection and coastal restoration work in 2014 at a public hearing Tuesday in Houma.</p><p>The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Boulevard. An open house begins at 5 p.m.</p><p>The annual plan includes a breakdown of how money will be spent in 2014.</p><p>According to the plan, of the $701 million in federal and state coastal dollars, about $513 million will be spent on construction. Another $63.3 million will be spent on engineering and design, $29.9 million on project planning, $37.3 million on operating costs, $40.3 million on ongoing programs and $17.1 million on operation, maintenance and monitoring of projects.</p><p>The report lists several large-scale, ongoing restoration projects in Terrebonne and Lafourche, including an $18 million aimed at introducing more fresh water into Bayou Lafourche and a $59 million project that will restore Fourchon Beach.</p><p>There are also multi-million projects to:</p><p>n Restore marsh in Lost Lake in southwestern Terrebonne.</p><p>n Restore banks along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Terrebonne.</p><p>n Reintroduce fresh water into Lake Boudreaux south of Houma.</p><p>The public hearing will pair with another important coastal meeting where locals can weigh in on plans to spend billions of dollars in potential BP oil spill fines.</p><p>The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council public hearing will follow the annual plan hearing. Residents can hear about and weigh in on efforts to plan for Restore Act dollars that will be paid back to the coast for restoration projects. </p><p>The council is chaired by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and includes governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. It also includes secretaries of the U.S. departments of Agriculture, the Army, Homeland Security and Interior plus the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.</p><p>The Restore Act, passed by Congress last year, dedicates 80 percent of BP's Clean Water Act fines to five Gulf Coast states. The Restore Act established the council to develop and oversee a plan to distribute 60 percent of the oil-spill fines that will be sent to the coast.</p><p>Companies involved with the spill can be fined from $1,000 to $4,300 per barrel leaked after the 2010 deadly explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig. That could add up to $5 billion to $20 billion.</p><p>The council is seeking ideas about how to spend a portion of that fine money. Its draft plan will be released for public comment in the spring. The plan itself will be released in July.</p><p>While the Restore Act broadly sketches out how the spill fines will be dispersed, officials say planning has been difficult because many specifics are still undertain.</p><p>“We still don't know steep civil fines will be against BP, or when the company will settle. Because of that, we also don't know how much money the state and parish will receive and when they'll get it,” said Terrebonne Coastal Restoration Director Nic Matherne.</p><p>The state plans to use its Coastal Master Plan as a guiding document for spending its share of the BP oil-spill fines.</p><p>Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.</p>